


From one director to another

by muddyuusha



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Light Angst, izumi and reni go shopping: the fic, light spoilers for act 10, omi and yukio are only mentioned in like two lines each, set in the Mankai-GODza Collab
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muddyuusha/pseuds/muddyuusha
Summary: Izumi decides to drag Reni to grocery shopping.
Relationships: Tachibana Izumi & Kamikizaka Reni
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	From one director to another

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic!
> 
> this has mild act 10 spoilers (particularly Reni's past) and is set during the Mankai-GODza collab event where both Izumi and Reni direct a play together. i hope you all enjoy it :D

“Kamikizaka-san, you’re free right now, right?”

“What do you want?”

Out of all the places Reni was expecting to be that Friday afternoon, being behind a shopping cart wasn’t one of them.

Izumi was by one of the shelves, checking the price tags on jars of jam intently. Reni’s surroundings felt unfamiliar to him: it was your average grocery store, just a five minute walk from the Mankai dorms although Reni took the car because he thought Izumi was taking him somewhere farther.

He glanced at the shopping cart. Flour, clotted cream, eggs… maybe they were ingredients for scones. He vaguely remembered that it was something one of the Mankai actors would make often. His name was… Fushimi, was it?

“Omi-kun wanted to make snacks for later’s evening rehearsals,” Izumi said, as if reading Reni’s mind. “He’s still busy with other things, so we’re taking care of buying the ingredients.”

Reni nodded, looking at his hands resting on the cart’s handle. “And why did you bring me along?”

Izumi chuckled. “I mean, your actors are part of this play, right? You said you’re free too, so I thought I could get you to help me.”

Reni scoffed. It was bold of someone to casually just ask the director of GOD-za, one of Veludo Way’s top theater troupes, to accompany them in grocery shopping. To ignore the standards of professionalism between coworkers and drag them into domestic matters was something akin to the stubborn decisions Yukio would make and- oh _god_ , he’s thinking about Yukio again. _Annoying._

But who was he to complain?

He took one look at Izumi, still comparing the prices between two brands of jam. The young director began staring at the ceiling, like seeing little calculations in the air. It was interesting how animated Izumi was off-stage, but Reni easily got tired of watching it.

“Stop worrying about that. Just put them in the cart already.”

“I can’t, Kamikizaka-san. I need to think about-”

“I’ll pay for it.”

The director turned to look at Reni, shocked. “You will?! Wait no, I mean- thank you, but I can’t just-”

“I said, I’ll pay for it.” he grabbed the more recognizable brand from Izumi’s hands and dropped it into the cart. “Now go. Let’s not waste time.”

A smile formed in Izumi’s lips. “Well, if you insist!”

A bit of the tension between them had lifted as they went on with their grocery trip. Izumi felt better not having to worry about the budget when shopping. Maybe it was a good idea to bring Reni along, the director thought, but…

The way Reni wouldn’t stop looking around, his grip on the shopping cart handle a little tight - it was obvious that he felt a little out of place. Izumi did expect this, after all Reni did give out a boujie kind of vibe, but a gut feeling said it wasn’t Reni’s first time at a local grocery store.

He caught Izumi staring at him. Their eyes met for a while, then Reni looked down at the shopping cart. Izumi thought that was it until Reni spoke in a tone the director had never heard him speak in before.

“I just haven’t done this with someone else before.”

An understanding “ah…” only comes out of Izumi's mouth. The way one would admit to having experienced loneliness - it was what Mankai Company’s general director knew all too well. Izumi wasn’t a stranger to people who didn’t have good experiences with their families. Not that Izumi would assume that was the case with Reni, not like he ever fully divulged his background to anyone.

The director only had a vague idea. Reni wasn’t in touch with his blood family, and as far as anyone else knew, he wasn’t living with anyone else at the moment. The only thing associated with Reni was… the GODza Theater.

A tinge of sadness suddenly settled in Izumi’s chest.  _ Has Reni ever experienced what a real family feels like? _

Thoughts drift to GODza. Tasuku’s words came to mind, how he recounted the inherent rivalry that came with joining that troupe. Most friendships were feigned, as everyone was out for each other. Out for the top actor spot that Reni dangled in front of every actor like a prized treat for dogs. But Izumi wondered, did he ever regret it? Was it worth risking a healthy - or even family-like - relationship that he might have been craving for so long? And Izumi had concluded that maybe he did, because there definitely was something the way Reni glances at everyone else in the Mankai dorms when he visits. 

The younger director sighed. It was impossible to imagine what it felt like to have no one to come home to.

“Tachibana.”

“Hm?” Izumi only just realized that they were both near the checkout counter already, everything in Omi’s list crossed out.

“You were unusually quiet,” Reni said. Izumi could feel a bit of guilt in his voice. It was obvious a huge portion of the trip felt awkward. Not like they could help it, there’s not much a forty-year-old and his old friend’s daughter can do to bond.

Or maybe there is, they just needed more time. And Izumi was willing to wait.

“Ah, it’s nothing to worry about, Kamikizaka-san. I was just thinking about some things.”

Reni’s shoulders visibly relaxed.

As they checked out their items, Izumi looked at the older director. At the very least, he looked less tense than he was when they first entered the store. A relieved smile was flashed at him.

“You know, I don’t mind doing this with you again.”

Reni glanced at Izumi, then raised an eyebrow. “You’re only saying that because I paid for everything.”

Then mild laughter bubbled from their chests, something even rare for the older director. But the younger director knew that what Reni listed wasn’t the only reason.

The ride back home was really short (“Why did you even let us bring the car?” “You were the one who insisted, Kamikizaka-san!” “Well then you should have told us where we were going first, Tachibana. God, you’re just like your father...”) and in just a moment they opened the door to the dorms. They put the grocery bags down as shoes were taken off.

“I’m home!” Izumi called out. In just a few seconds Reni heard footsteps rushing to the entrance, and a familiar face with bushy red hair peeked out from the corner.

“Director- oh!” he began to greet with a smile, then his eyes landed on Reni, and somehow, his smile grew bigger. “And Reni-sama too! Welcome home!”

There was something about those last two words that left Reni speechless.  _ When was… _ when was the last time he had heard them?

He decided not to think too much about it as Sakuya and Izumi dragged him inside.

**Author's Note:**

> *holds izumi and reni gently* i think they should be famly. also reni starts seriously considering shifuto's suggestion to build a dorm for godza after this
> 
> anyways thank you all so much for reading!!


End file.
